PRO SUPERSTAR SHOOTOUT A WIN IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE FOR RICHARD FREEMAN
One of the driving forces behind the PRO Superstar Shootout from conception to reality was Elite Motorsports team owner Richard Freeman . Bold , brash , and not one to mince words , he saw an opportunity to create a standalone event featuring the stars of the NHRA professional classes but with big payouts , true VIP treatment for everyone involved , and constant engagement and entertainment for the fans .
That vision became a reality over several months , from the official press conference announcing the event on August 2 to the actual race in early February . Freeman and other PRO members committed time , effort , and resources to developing the event . Though Freeman ’ s team , with Erica Enders driving , secured the $ 125,000 Pro Stock win on Saturday night , Freeman declared the event a win much earlier in the weekend .
“ From the outside looking in , it looked like perfection , in my opinion ,” Freeman said . “ Packed . Close the gates , right ? Looks fantastic . Wes says it best : Big wedding , small church . But I ’ ll be honest – it didn ’ t look small today . It ’ s phenomenal . I can ’ t say enough about the PRO group getting together . We have a special group of racers from Top Fuel , Funny Car , Pro Stock . We may not like each other , but at the end of the day , we all love what we do . I love it .”
The PRO Superstar Shootout was a dream realized for Freeman and many other professional team owners and racers . The different ideas the group wanted to try played out even better than expected . That included bolstering the entertainment factor while still keeping competition a priority . It also included covering the event differently through the FloRacing livestream and through the numerous digital content creators that turned out to support buddies like Clay
Millican . All of these factors came together to create an atmosphere that was indescribable even for Freeman .
“ I don ’ t know if people realize what is happening ,” Freeman said . “ The landscape is changing . One of the head guys with NHRA was here today on the property . He walked up to me and asked what ’ s different . My response to him was , ‘ If you can ’ t see it , I don ’ t need to tell you . It ’ s right in front of you .’ It ’ s just something special .”
Behind the scenes , drivers and team owners proposed doing anywhere from two to 20 more events like the PRO Superstar Shootout . While the high end of that spectrum is unrealistic , Freeman believes the PRO Superstar Shootout won ’ t be a one-time , one-off happening .
“ I think you ’ re fixing to see a lot more of this ,” Freeman said . “ I can ’ t tell you how many , but there ’ s going to be more . Guaranteed .” DI
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